ROME, may 9:Roger Federer lost his sixth match of the year Friday, falling to 27th-ranked Radek Stepanek 7-6 (4), 7-6 (7) in the Rome Masters quarter-finals.

The top-ranked Federer lost only nine matches in all of 2007. He piled up a string of defeats at the beginning of this year when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Federer surrendered a 5-2 lead in the second-set tiebreaker, and wasted a set point at 6-5 on Stepanek’s serve by hitting into the net.

“Usually when I have a lead I don’t let it go, so it’s quite disappointing,” Federer said. “I played so poorly on the big points.”

Federer had won four of his previous five meetings with Stepanek, but the pair are now tied 2-2 on clay. “He’s difficult to play,” Federer said. “He’s always changing his game up a lot. But I’ve played him in the past, so it wasn’t a surprise. I just wish I played better.”

Federer’s elimination comes two days after three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal was beaten by Juan Carlos Ferrero. Nadal said he was not at his best due to a blister on his right foot.

In the semi-finals, Stepanek will face the winner of the night match between Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic and Spanish clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro.

In the other half of the draw, Stanislas Wawrinka rallied past eighth-seeded James Blake 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5), 6-1 to reach his second semi-final in two weeks.

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